UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only James Madison University, 27 Apr 07 Brigadier General Steve Anderson Deputy Chief of Staff Resources and Sustainment.

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Presentation on theme: "UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only James Madison University, 27 Apr 07 Brigadier General Steve Anderson Deputy Chief of Staff Resources and Sustainment."— Presentation transcript:

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UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only James Madison University, 27 Apr 07 Brigadier General Steve Anderson Deputy Chief of Staff Resources and Sustainment Multi-National Force - Iraq UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only

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BG Steve Anderson, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Dep Chief of Staff R&S UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only 2 Agenda  Purpose  Why Iraq is Vital to National Security  Key Facts & Current Situation  The Top Ten Myths of the War in Iraq  Ten Reasons to be Optimistic  Way Ahead  Questions & Discussion Note: Views expressed are mine alone and are not to be misconstrued as official Army/DoD positions

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BG Steve Anderson, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Dep Chief of Staff R&S UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only 3 Purpose  Present unvarnished viewpoint of soldier serving in Iraq in Baghdad for previous 8 months  Provide insights on Operation Iraqi Freedom that may run counter to how many presently view the war  Promote understanding of what many believe is “the defining political-military event of this generation”  Engage in candid discussion with students, faculty and other attendees regarding OIF Stimulate critical thinking about the War in Iraq in a learning environment

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BG Steve Anderson, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Dep Chief of Staff R&S UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only 6 Myth #1: War in Iraq is “All about Oil”  Oil industry vital to regional & world stability -- and Iraqi prosperity  OIF not an effort to keep gas prices low; War in Iraq is all about freedom, democracy, self-determination and regional security in Middle East  OIF is combating religious extremists trying to terrorize the Iraqi populace and dictate political outcome thru terror and intimidation  Coalition efforts focused on providing security to a good and noble people/culture that has been subjected to 30 years of brutal repression  Leaving now would result in a huge human/Iraqi catastrophe:  Brookings Institute: Pullout would result in 750K civilians casualties (e.g., Rwanda: 800,000 Tutsis slaughtered by Hutus in ’94)  Impact of failed state -- AQI safe haven in the heart of Middle East  Is “escalating violence” a reason to leave?  Encourage similar efforts elsewhere in world? War in Iraq is essentially a fight against religious extremists – an enemy dedicated to denying the people of Iraq freedom, democracy, and basic rights of self-determination

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BG Steve Anderson, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Dep Chief of Staff R&S UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only 8 Myth #3: Iraq engulfed in full-scale Civil War  War primarily a fight between religious extremists (Foreign fighters + suicide bombers + Al Qaeda) and coalition forces  Baghdad + Al Anbar Province = still unacceptably high violence; other provinces relatively safe and secure  Majority of Muslims do not want to rule the world; most are peace-loving, hard-working people that to wish to live and work in safety and peace  Car bombs, road-side bombs and sniper attacks cause most casualties  Religious extremists not unique to Iraq  Jim Jones, David Koresh, Eric Rudolph, Abortion Clinic bombers, etc.  Security improving with over 35 neighborhood police stations in Baghdad – markets, banks, restaurants, soccer games, amusement park Violence levels are unacceptable and must be brought down; it is not a war waged between large factions of the general populace, but a fight involving religiously-motivated fringe extremists who promote their cause thru civilian bloodshed and brutal acts of terror

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BG Steve Anderson, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Dep Chief of Staff R&S UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only 15 Myth #8: Troops Aren’t Properly Equipped (2 of 2)  1200 cargo trucks delivering supplies daily (800 from Kuwait, 200 from Jordan, 200 from Turkey)  400,000 meals served at DFAC a day. Feed Alexandria, VA  1.3M gallons of fuel consumed daily – enough fuel to fill the tanks of 87K typical mid-sized cars (over 50,000 vehicles in theater)  Produce 2 million bottles of drinking water daily.  Produce 9M gallons of bulk water every day – enough to fill 450 residential swimming pools (approx 40 gals/person/day)  465 tons of ice per day – that’s 1.4 pounds of ice per soldier  2.8 million pieces of laundry daily – enough clothing to outfit every person in the city of San Francisco  400,000 lbs of mail each day in December. Dec = 50 lbs/person Forces are well equipped and supported; an adaptive enemy continues to develop more sophisticated and lethal weaponry; DoD and industry responding to give troops best available protection Forces are well equipped and supported; an adaptive enemy continues to develop more sophisticated and lethal weaponry; DoD and industry responding to give troops best available protection Typical Day In Iraq:

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BG Steve Anderson, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Dep Chief of Staff R&S UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only 16 Myth #9: Morale is Low  The NEW Greatest Generation (18-30 years old): Tough, committed, adaptive and professional fighting force – representing you well  Disciplined and compassionate; don’t pull trigger indiscriminately, go overboard to protect citizens and respect Islamic culture  Sign of soldier morale = high retention rates  Re-up rate continues to far exceed objectives  Retention “simply astonishing” (GEN (Ret) McCaffrey)  Troops have seen the polls and realize most Americans evidently don’t support the war – but appreciate the strong support Americans continue to show to those fighting it  Amazing outpouring of mail, packages and messages from CONUS  Reaction to troops in uniform transiting airports returning from Iraq  Anti-war messages usually not projected against troops Morale is high and not adversely impacted by war debate; 180k coalition soldiers getting a tough job done in Iraq; all Services serving honorably and courageously

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BG Steve Anderson, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Dep Chief of Staff R&S UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only 17 Myth #10 -- The Biggest Myth: We Have Lost  New Operational Scheme getting more troops into Baghdad (US + Iraq = 87.5K): Operation “Fardh Al-Qanoon” (FAQ)  First time, enough troops to Clear – Control – Retain – Build  Ensuring security by increasing permanent presence in key Baghdad neighborhoods  Establishing over 75 Neighborhood Police Stations (Iraqi Army + Iraqi Police + Coalition)  Securing markets – life returning to city (parks, shops, restaurants, etc)  National Tips Hotline – all-time high  Iraqi gov't supporting significant military actions in Sadr City for first time  Decline in ethno-sectarian incidents (26%) since FAQ initiation  Iraqis have committed sizeable numbers to the fight (Police + Army) = 329K  Tribal resistance to Al Qaeda in Iraq, especially in West; Sunni tribes supplying young men to IA for the first time; AQI, “A War Against All Iraqis”  Extremist Shiite militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr in hiding and we are working with Shiite Mayor of Sadr City, his old stronghold Military cannot “win” this war – can only help set conditions for a POLITICAL solution; security is paramount and there are some early signs new strategy working -- expect assessments at end of summer

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BG Steve Anderson, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Dep Chief of Staff R&S UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only 18 Summary: Ten Reasons to be Optimistic 1. We are fighting for a worthy cause: freedom & democracy 2. US has many great teammates in this effort 3. Level of violence unsatisfactory, but not a full scale civil war 4. Iraqi quality of life and infrastructure improving 5. Increasing effectiveness and ministerial capability of Iraq gov’t 6. Private sector investment climate getting better 7. Contractors continue to serve ably & provide tremendous service 8. Forces are best equipped and best protected in history 9. Troop morale, professionalism and competence high 10. Brutal, high-profile acts of violence too frequent, but we are making steady progress towards enabling a political solution

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BG Steve Anderson, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Dep Chief of Staff R&S UNCLASSIFIED/For Official Use Only 19  Engaged in a tough fight with brutal, adaptive extremists  Apply appropriate coalition political, military, diplomatic, economic and informational power to:  Protect population, reduce sectarian violence and allow nation to establish consensus among Shia, Sunni, Kurd  Ensure regional stability and a secure Iraq, at peace w/ neighbors  Empower Iraqi democracy and commitment to law-based gov’t  Contain Islamic extremists to Middle East  Enable passing security responsibility to Govt of Iraq Way Ahead This is the defining international event of our time… We can win this struggle. We MUST win this struggle. This is the defining international event of our time… We can win this struggle. We MUST win this struggle.